Job Discussion Forums

[PF]

I'm an American male 29 years of age and a rookie without any formal English teaching experience. I recently completed my TEFL certification and am considering India as a possible teaching location. I wanted to throw out a line to anyone that has lived and taught in India just to hear about their experiences, both good and bad. Thanks!
-PF

[travelingirl68]

Hi PF,

It really depends upon what you are looking for in a 'teaching' job. As English is a major language in India, and there are many Indian teachers of English, it is not a hotbed of teaching activity in the traditional sense. That does not mean that you can't find a teaching job here, but you would have to hunt for it more than in places like Korea or China.

Have you lived abroad before? What is your prior work experience? I work for Spectrum, and generally they look for someone with 2 years of international experience teaching, or at least living. I think if you have experience working in call centers and teaching/coaching customer service skills, that would be a great benefit to you in a lot of the jobs that are offered in India. (BPOs - Business Process Outsourcing) are BIG business here.

Why do you want to come to India? To travel? Learn a particular Indian language? The culture, etc.? They are all great reasons to come here, but when you work in a BPO, you spend a great deal of your time doing work that you could be anywhere in the US doing, and generally doing it at very odd hours.

If you let us know more specific questions, it might be easier for us to give you what you are looking for, ask away!

[gonzo85]

I drank the water & got very, very sick. But I had a great & memorable experience overall. People there tend to be very fond of Americans, so finding a job shouldn't be difficult.